Vancouver rundown for Thursday, March 5th, 2026.
A fireball meteor. That's what NASA says thousands
of people in parts of B .C. and Washington state
witnessed on Tuesday evening. Experts now say
a meteor traveling through the Earth's atmosphere
was responsible for the bright light and loud
booms heard in many parts of the lower mainland,
including Coquitlam, Burnaby, Port Moody, Delta,
Surrey, and Langley. The meteor was likely no
larger than a softball when it streaked across
the sky at around 9 .10 Tuesday evening. Other
news, Kwantlen Polytechnic University is about
to be hit with another round of mass layoffs.
The cuts are expected to hit unionized staff
across departments and services. It comes as
KPU continues to deal with a budget crisis as
international student enrollment declines. with
new federal rules. Domestic enrollment is expected
to remain flat. KPU has campuses in Surrey, Langley,
and Richmond. A Surrey mayoral candidate wants
to ditch the city's motto. Mike Starchuk says
he'd replace the future lives here with the city
of champions. Starchuk says Surrey needs to grow
by honoring community builders, humanitarians,
innovators, educators, first responders, athletes,
and everyday heroes. BC is cracking down on those
who operate building cranes, a move that comes
after seven deaths in five years. The provincial
government has announced a new licensing and
permitting program, noting recommendations of
the industry and labor policy experts. The number
of cranes operating in BC has more than tripled.
over the past five years. The forecast calling
for a mix of sun and cloud for Thursday, rain
for Friday, showers on Saturday. For all the
details on these local Vancouver area stories,
along with those links, go to VancouverRundown
.substack .com.